Response of Guava (Psidium guajava L.) to Pruning Intensities and Foliar Application of Nutrients on Growth Attributes

Abstract

The experiment was conducted on nine year old well-established guava orchard planted at 3.0 × 3.0 m spacing to study the response of foliar feeding of nutrients and pruning intensities on the growth attributes of guava (Psidium guajava L.) cv. Allahabad Safeda during 2022-23 and 2023-24 at Horticultural orchard at Powarkheda, Narmadapuram under the Department of Horticulture, College of Agriculture, JNKVV Jabalpur (M.P.). The experiment was laid out in Factorial Randomized Block Design (FRBD) with three replications. The treatment consist of two factor (A) three levels of pruning, i.e. No pruning (P0), pruning of 25cm shoot from tip (P1), pruning of 50cm shoot from tip (P2) and factor ( B) thirteen  levels of nutrients No- Control, N1-Urea @ 2%, N2- Urea @ 3%, N3-Nano urea @ 0.2% N4- Nano urea @0.3%,N5 –Zinc @ 0.4%,N6- Zinc @ 0.6%,N7- Nano zinc @ 0.04%, N8-Nano zinc @ 0.06%, N9- Iron @ 0.3%,N10-Iron @ 0.5%,N11-Nano iron @ 0.03%,N12-Nano iron @0.5%. The results revealed that the maximum increase in - plant height (11.85%), plant spread N-S (12.77%), plant spread E-W (13.76%), length of new sprout (16.87cm) & (30.85cm) and diameter of new sprout (2.57mm) & (3.47mm) at 60 and 90 days after pruning (DAP) respectively were recorded in P2 (pruning of 50cm shoot from tip). While, minimum was observed under treatment N0 (no pruning). With respect to foliar application of nutrients, the maximum increase in plant height (11.13%), plant spread N-S (12.23%), plant spread E-W (13.33%), length of new sprout (16.18cm) & (30.16cm) and diameter of new sprout (2.53mm) & (3.45mm) at 60 and 90 DAP respectively were recorded in N2 (Urea @3%) and minimum was found in N0 (control).  Among, the treatment combinations, P2N2 (pruning of 50cm shoot from tip + Urea @ 3%) was found most superior with respect to the maximum, increase in plant height (12.50%), plant spread N-S (13.40%), plant spread E-W (14.83%), length of new sprout (17.68cm) & (31.65cm) and diameter of new sprout (2.71mm) & (3.61mm) at 60 and 90 DAP respectively.